The Emotional Eating (and Everything Else) Podcast

We're starting Season 2--woo-hoo!  And I'm kicking it off with a three-episode review/outline of sorts. I thought it would be helpful to focus on the three main aspects of my approach to creating a positive relationship with food.  And to talk about  why  I think they're so important.    Nothing drives me more crazy than to be told what or how to do something but not be told why .   So with each o...

"Food is the only thing I have."  Have you ever noticed yourself saying that?   For some folks, food is their best friend, their only enjoyment, their drug of choice.  Which makes sense in a lot of ways!  Food checks SO many boxes.  It's available, it's relatively cheap, it's legal, and it's socially acceptable (well, it is if you're thin).   No wonder so many people turn to food for comfort and e...

On this week's podcast, we're talking about movement!  And not exercise, that boring stuff you're supposed to do at the gym in a certain way for a certain amount of time.  No, we're talking about movement you enjoy (what a concept!).  Movement that makes your body feel good.  Movement that has no expectations or rigid rules.  In other words, positive movement.  Today, I talk with Haley Melchert, a...

On this week's episode, I talk with Kira Onysko, a Certified Personal Trainer and Inclusive Fitness Specialist, about approaching exercise--or movement--with curiosity.  Meaning wondering what your body can accomplish performance-wise, as opposed to trying to change what it looks like.  And Kira shows us what that can look like. Kira also gives some great advice on getting started with and maintai...

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling a lot of heavy emotions since the ruling on Roe.  I'm incredibly sad and absolutely enraged about where we are now.  And I'm terrified for how this will impact so very many women and young girls.   So I thought it might be helpful to talk about how to tend to those heavy emotions on this week's podcast. And of course we're using IFS to do that. Using I...

I have no willpower! How many times have you said this to yourself? Any time a diet fails or an exercise regimen gets thrown by the wayside, we always blame willpower, don't we?  Or our lack of it, I should say.  There must be something wrong with us that we just can't stick to a diet.  It can't be because we're starving all the time and eating foods that we don't like while completely cutting out...

Let's talk about women and pressure.  I don't have to tell you that we as women have huge expectations placed upon us to look a certain way, be a certain size, fit certain gender roles, etc. etc. etc.  The pressure is  intense .   And it's about 1,000,000,000 times worse for moms. If you're a mom, do any of these sound familiar? What if I gain too much weight during pregnancy? What if I don't gain...

Mindfulness... Mindfulness is one of those words that pops up a LOT these days.  And it seems like something that we  should be doing, right?  Like somehow people who practice mindfulness are more evolved than those of us who don't.  At least that's how I see them.  So if you're someone who already practices mindfulness, just know that I already see you as being a better human than me :) I see a l...

Two weeks ago, I asked, are you hungry?  Today, I'm asking, are you full? And just like last week, that question may be really easy to answer, or it may be more difficult. But honestly, knowing you're full isn't usually the problem, is it?   For most people--myself included--the problem isn't that you don't realize you're full.  It's knowing you're full and continuing to eat anyway. Right???  And...

Are you hungry? This may be a really easy question for you to answer.  You may be able to say, "Actually I am, and I'd love a (insert food item here)."  And if that's the case, good for you! But maybe it's not so easy to answer.  Maybe you're not sure.  Or even if you know you are hungry, maybe you're telling yourself that you shouldn't be.  Or that you should just drink water instead.   If you're...

The definition of trust is "the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something."  Firm belief--that's a lot to ask! Would you say that you have a "firm belief" in your ability to approach food in the way you would like?  And do you feel that you have a "firm belief" in your body's ability to know what it needs?  If so, congratulations!   But if you don't, you'r...

When we reach for food, chances are a part is running the show. Maybe it's eating because your body is hungry, but maybe it's eating to calm a stressed-out part. Or numb an emotional part. Or soothe a scared part. These are great examples of our parts trying to be helpful. But sometimes, these eating decisions don't work well for us. Which is why it's really helpful to bring in some Self-Energy wh...

Last week, we talked about diet culture being a legacy burden that we can give back to those who gave it to us.  I hope that that episode inspired you to think about the role of dieting in your life, and I hope that you're at least starting to think about letting some or all of it go.  Maybe you've already done that!   Or, maybe you're thinking, "Ok Kim, I get that diet culture is toxic and damagi...

Have you ever thought about what made you start using food for comfort?  Or how you started hating your body?  Or what made you think you need to lose weight?   You might answer that with, "Of course I've thought about that, Kim. And I know exactly how it all started  My grandma used to bake me cookies when I had a bad day."  Or, "My mom dragged me to Weight Watchers when I was 10."  Or, "I was te...

Over the past few weeks, we've been talking  a lot  about Internal Family Systems (IFS).  From how it works to how it can help you understand and change your eating patterns.  And you've probably heard me say the word "parts" a thousand times by now. But with all of this information, you're probably still left with one question: How do I  do  IFS? We're finally getting to that this week!  On this...

Does this ever happen to you?   You try to change your eating habits in order to be "healthier."  Or to lose weight.  Or to feel more "in control" of your eating.  Whatever the reason, you start counting calories or you cut out entire food groups.  Or maybe you try to add more "good" foods into your eating pattern.  Or maybe you do all of those things,  and  you decide to hit the gym four times a...

I don't know about you, but I can be pretty hard on myself sometimes.   From calling myself stupid when I drop something, to telling myself I'm an idiot for not knowing an obscure Jeopardy question, to berating my appearance when I don't look like  I "should," the self-deprecating comments can be never-ending.   And I used to think that there was nothing I could do about this.  I mean, I am an idi...

Has something like this every happened to you?   You find yourself standing at your pantry, having just eaten a half-bag of Oreos--and you can't really remember eating them.  And then the guilt comes in, because of course you "shouldn't" have eaten those.  And that critical voice starts in with "How could you do that?  You're going to gain weight.  Why can't you control yourself?  What's wrong wit...

Since we've been talking a lot lately about the negative impact of diet culture and leaving diets in the dust, I think it's also vitally important to talk about weight loss.  Obviously, dieting is mostly about weight loss and shrinking our bodies, so how can you step away from diet culture without looking at your desire for weight loss?   You can't.   So  of course  we have to look at this goal wh...

So 2022 has begun, and the diet ads are in full swing!  But we're not falling for it, right?  Let's make food and body freedom the goal for 2022!  What does food and body freedom mean?  It means no longer thinking about, caring, or working on shrinking yourself.  It means no longer hating your body--no matter what it's size.  And it means eating the foods you love with zero guilt. Yes, that's all...

We've just made it through the holidays, and now we're faced with the next stressful season:  diet season. Yes, this is the time of year that diet companies give it their all to make you feel like sh*t so you'll buy their products.   Let's not buy into that (literally) this year! Today's episode looks at the history of diet culture (spoiler alert: it's founded in racism, misogyny, and fat phobia)...

We're getting close to the holidays--I hope you're ready! In today's episode, we're talking about how to use IFS to help those parts that get hijacked during family gatherings and social events.  You know how it goes.  Someone makes a comment about your weight or asks you if you "should be eating that."  Or they start body-shaming themselves--or you.  And then the diet talk begins.... Family and s...

Since we're so close to Christmas, many of us are coming up on holiday gatherings, if you haven't been to some already. I hope that if you're joining friends and family this coming weekend that you're looking forward to it and that it will be a really positive experience for you!  But if you're approaching these gatherings with anxiety and trepidation because you know that there will be difficult...

The holidays can be tough, can't they?  We tend to have a lot of expectations for ourselves in terms of what we accomplish, but also in terms of how we eat.  And the holidays can extremely difficult for those with eating and body issues.   Food is obviously everywhere during the holidays.  We're faced with food far more than we usually are. And navigating all of that can feel impossible.  It's ver...

The holidays are upon us! If you're someone who loves this time of year, good for you!  But if you're not, you're in the right place.  The holiday season can be really difficult for a variety of reasons.  This is the thing that no one wants to talk about.  So we're talking about it today.   Let's chat about why the holidays are so tough and what to do about it.